Category: Field Gear

Letter Re: Low-Light Tactics and Options

Officer Tackleberry’s recent article was a rarely touched upon subject in the tactical world. People like to train what they are good at and not what they aren’t so good at. Low-light takes a lot more work for a variety of reasons. I hope to add a bit to Tackleberry’s very useful article. I will attempt to not be too redundant, as Tackleberry did a very good job of describing techniques and principles… perhaps we can overlap in a beneficial way. When activating your tactical light, be it handheld or weapon-mounted, always have the light pointed at, or nearly at …


Low-Light Tactics and Options, by Officer Tackleberry

I have had some people ask how I as a police officer can defend the concealed carry rights for citizens and private gun ownership as a whole along with personally teaching firearms and self-defense to citizens.  To me the answer is an easy one.  I believe all of us have the God-given right to defend ourselves and our loved ones and firearms are a very good option in doing so.  I also believe that if there would have been citizens/students at the tragedy at Virginia Tech and other venues who were armed, trained and willing, then the death/injury tolls wouldn’t …


Pat’s Product Review: Benchmade Auto Stryker 9101

Right off the bat, I’ll tell you, I like tanto point knives, for some strange reason. Maybe its because of that secondary cutting edge, or maybe its just the cool-factor. What we have here for review is the new and improved Benchmade Stryker automatic folder, Model 9101. For those of you in free states, where you can legally own an automatic knife, this one is worth looking at. If you live in a state that won’t allow an automatic knife, then Benchmade has several manual opening folders in the Stryker line-up as well.   The new Auto Stryker incorporates a …


Two Letters Re: Basic Climbing Gear for Preppers

James: After reading the article about climbing gear I thought I would add in a few notes.  Being a member of a technical rope team for Search and Rescue in an area of southwestern Colorado, I have all the gear mentioned by T.F. This type of gear has so many uses other than just climbing and rappelling.  I take basic gear (harness, rope, carabiners, webbing, prusiks, and pulleys) on every hunting trip.  It has so many uses from hauling game out of hard to get areas, river crossings, making a rope bridge, amongst other things.  I also use it every …


Basic Climbing Gear for Preppers, by T.F.

As preppers I think we all have the same mindset. If we did not, we would not be returning to SurvivalBlog on a daily basis, or stockpiling all the things we do. I am four months new to the blog and have always been a prepper at heart. With the blog, several things have been brought to my attention that I was lacking in my prepping. As these issues surface, I take immediate action either to correct them right away, or they make my very short “To Do” list. With that, I bring to your attention the need of some …


Lessons From Christchurch: Urban Earthquake Preparedness and Survival by Alex F.

Let’s be honest. Thinking about the end of the world is kind of fun. If it weren’t, there wouldn’t be so many post-apocalyptic novels, movies and television shows. Preparing for a relatively slow-moving Armageddon like a civil war or pandemic demands a lot of shopping which is an enjoyable pastime. However, as the grieving citizens of Christchurch, New Zealand attest, the most likely threats are also the most sudden, the least glamorous, and not fun at all. TEOTWAWKI may or may not happen in our lifetimes, but almost everyone has to deal with a natural disaster at one time or …


Minutes Mean Miles, by Jerry the Generator Guy

Most of us do not have the option of being able to live in our “bug out” location.  I have noticed that there are several common limiters for being able to quickly exit a locale; Time spent deciding on and gathering items to take. Time spent physically loading the vehicle(s). This sort / load time issue is the same regardless of the quantity of stuff to be loaded. The same issues apply whether this is “the big one” or if the need is strictly for a local issue. The “prep” time, if done now, is a no dollar or low …


Letter Re: Suburban Preps on Long Island, New York

Hi All, I’d like to contribute some details on my preparations in a region where tricky geography, difficult society, and extremely difficult legal issues can make planning difficult. As for tricky geography, Long Island is essentially a 100-mile long 23-mile wide (at its very widest) ‘no outlet’ roadway prison stuffed with nearly 8 million people. Take a peek at the Wikipedia page about the island to get the idea. We are east of New York City with its 50 million people in the immediate 35 mile radius. When things get Schumeresque – there is very little most residents will be …


Letter Re: A Vehicular Get-Me-Home Kit

I recently took a job that requires a short automobile commute of about ten miles into a nearby small city of 60,000. After a few months I finally got around to packing a ‘get home’ kit to store in my car. The city in question has very few routes out of it. My normal commute is on a highway that travels through a marsh/wetlands area. The other possible routes are along surfaces streets that lead out of the downtown area through very bad neighborhoods until breaking into suburban areas. In the event of a large scale emergency or ‘unrest’ in …


Letter Re: You are Only as Good as Your Equipment

I am a two-year every day reader of the SurvivalBlog, and going through most of the entries that people write I have noticed that the majority of people believe that in a post SHTF scenario we will be faced with daily battles with marauders trying to take or food and goods. This brings people to the assumption that they must only stock up on only ammunition and firearms. As we all know as readers of this blog that when SHTF we will not have grocery stores or any of the facilities that we take for granted as of today. We …


Do Not Underestimate Airsoft as a Training Aid for Youths, by Scott D.

My son who is 15 years old recently got into Airsoft and started to amass a collection of replica looking, fully functioning and firing Airsoft rifles and pistols. I had planned on enrolling him in a Hunter’s Safety course soon as he is of age but the more I watched him and his buddies play Airsoft in the bush like a rag-tag wild bunch I decided to take action.  This was a good way to train them to be soldiers.  Mostly because it was out of fear of some of the younger children getting seriously injured, since those plastic pellets …


Letter Re: Do-It-Yourself Campfire Starters

Dear Mr. Rawles,   I also have a suggestion for DIY fire starters.  I have been making these for several years and they work great for fire pits etc. I would caution about using them to start a cooking fire though, due to fragrances and color dyes. We use a lot of 4” and 6” pillar candles in our house. We don’t have small children, so an accidental fire is not a very big concern.  I used to throw out the candle butts and decided I’d like to somehow recycle them. So now every couple of months I make fire …


Letter Re: Do-It-Yourself Campfire Starters

Dear Mr. Rawles, First thank you and thank you again for your wonderful web site. I feel I have learned so much by reading it. I developed lots of important ideas good not only for emergencies but for more “mundane” preparedness. I want to share with you and your readers how I make simple and inexpensive fire starters for the fireplace, grill or campfire. I get a pound of Gulf Wax [canning paraffin] ($3 dollars per box) and melt it in a mason jar in a pot of boiling water. I then take finely shredded office paper (free) and stuff …


Packing Your Bug Out First Aid Kit, by J.V. in Tacoma

The contents of a bug out first aid kit should not only contain band-aids and other such dressings for minor wounds.  The bug out first aid kit should also contain a vast amount of items in various classifications to be discussed below.  The use of these items has been historically documented, however care should be used in their administration and these items should be used only as a last result when no other means of medical care are available.  Persons should use these items if death is imminent and the risk of using these items would not sufficiently out weigh …


Protecting Your Firearms Investment, by Grey Knight

Survival is a mindset.  The most valuable item one can have is knowledge.  One area of preparedness that gets reams of attention is the firearm.  The debate over which type, caliber, and capacity is endless.  Some of this is based on opinion, while other on experience. Yet with all the hoopla about the importance of firearms and ammunition, you never see much about care and cleaning.  I’m not going to throw my hat in with the hundreds of “experts” on firearms out there in the preparedness community, but I do want to talk a little about the importance of protecting …